We would much rather you save your money for a project that you WANT to do, than one you do not. A few months ago we were called to replace some trim around a window, door frame and garage at a newer home. The homeowner had mentioned that they had previously had the same work done, not once but THREE separate times. They requested a specific type of composite trim that would never rot. We bid the job and it was approved. What we did not know at the time as that we had just signed on for a much larger project.

The long story short? When we removed the trim on the garage we found that the backing was rotted. As we removed the rotted material we found more and more damage. What was originally a project expected to be a few thousand dollars, ended up costs thousands more. What was the culprit? An improperly sealed light housing. A simple tube of caulking could have prevented everything.

The above pictures show details of our new maintenance program. Our objective is to become your eyes and ears for your home with 2 yearly interior and exterior inspections. We want to help you keep your home in good working order. Our hope is that we can continue to earn your trust and when you are ready to take on a project you WANT to do, you’ll give us the opportunity to do that work as well.

Call us for additional details of the maintenance program or to set up your plan today! Make sure to mention you found the details on our website.

KC Home Solutions was founded on the basics of minor maintenance requests and small repair needs. Our first paid job was a replacement HVAC compressor/condenser concrete pad. As we have grown we have turned our attention specifically towards remodeling, home additions and custom-build opportunities. Maintenance items had to take a backseat, if they got a seat at all. We have become an award winning full-scale remodeling company thanks to the trust of each and every one of our customers!

Well we are coming full circle. Announcing the return of the original KC Home Solutions. Due to ongoing requests and our desire to help all of our customers, past, present and future, we are re-launching our handyman division!

Beginning in November we will start taking on maintenance and small remodeling projects again. Leading up to that time we will be detailing the type of projects and additional items and requests the new division will be taking on.

We will continue to provide the highest quality remodeling design-build services you have come to expect from us, and we plan on doing the same with the new maintenance division!

Late January award ceremonies are becoming a reoccurring theme that we are really enjoying! This January was no exception. We certainly do not do what we do for the awards but it is always nice to win them. The best part of the Remodel of the Year (REMY) awards through the Kansas City chapter of the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI) is that all of the categories and entries are judged by a blind panel of experts from another NARI chapter. Winning an award truly shows that you are doing the right thing on the highest level of quality and craftsmanship.

So what did we win? We entered 4 categories and took home awards on 3 of them. We found out that the one category that we did not place in we missed 2nd by .132 points. The closest separation of placing of anyone in the entire chapter. We are of course still very proud of the results.

2018 is already shaping up to be a fantastic year at KC Home Solutions. We would love to add your project to our list of awards. You never know! We hope to help you make your personal vision become reality!

Last night was amazing! But to say that it was a "dream come true" is not a fair statement. KC Home Solutions was founded with the purpose of being able to help people renovate their homes, to make their homes their personal "dream come true". Our objective was never to win awards. That said, last night we did just that and we couldn't be more proud!

Last night was the 2016 Kansas City Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) Remodel of the Year awards banquet. For short it is called the 2016 KC NARI REMY Awards. We were entered in 4 different categories. The categories were the following:

When the evening was completed we had won the Gold and All-Star Award in the Residential Bath Project and the Silver Award for the Residential Kitchen Project. The icing on the cake for the evening however was the award we were not expecting. 2016 KC NARI Best of Show Project Under $75,000!

All of the projects are submitted and judged by a blind panel with 3 remodeling experts from another NARI Chapter in the US. The projects are graded on a 90 point scale. In order to win the All-Star designation a project must be graded at 85 points or better on the scale. Of the 24 awards given out last night only 4 were awarded the All-Star designation.

To win the Best of Show Award means that the project was the highest graded in regards to the 90 point scale of all of the projects in that price range. There are only 4 Best of Show Awards given out each year.

Thank you to all of our fantastic homeowners, our amazing staff and all of our subcontractors who helped with these projects and all of our other projects as well. Without all of you none of this is possible! We have set the bar high for our first year as a part of NARI. We treat each project as if is going to be an award winner and that is something we will never waiver on. Here's to hoping that the next project we help you with will be a part of this post next year!

As we meet with new potential clients, one of the things we always talk about is design and ideas. It doesn't matter what project they are looking to take on, kitchen remodel, home addition, basement finish, master bathroom, mudroom, everyone tends to have at least some idea of what they would like to see. Of course there are a few occasions where that's not the case.

So what options do you have if you don't know what you want your project to look like. I've got your place to start. You may have guessed it based on the name of this post and the picture it started with. Houzz.com. So what is Houzz? Houzz is a website and online community about architecture, interior design, interior decorating, landscape design and home improvement. Almost everyone knows about pinterest. Well Houzz is pinterest on steroids but dedicated specifically to the things mentioned above and that's it.

A remodeled sitting room idea, picture from houzz.com.

So you see, Houzz is the perfect place to go when you don't know where to start. If you don't know what "your style" is. If you're not sure what's trending in design. If you just want to see some really great remodeled or new rooms. If you want to be sucked in, blink once and wonder where several hours of your day just went...happens to me all the time, it's totally worth it.

We would encourage you to check out Houzz. While you're there setting up your free profile, make sure to swing by our profile and click that Follow button! We are always updating our completed projects, uploading before and after pictures. You can also collaborate with us using an Ideabook for your project.

Oh that thing? Yeah, the Houzz community voted and we won this award.

The ideas are limitless, so don't limit yourself. See yourself in a new space and don't settle for DIY ideas on other websites. Let us help make your home show room perfect! PS, that sitting room picture attached above from Houzz? Yeah, that was us.

We are by no means Realtors, this we know. That said, we work with a lot of them and do a fair bit of consultation with several in Kansas City. One of the questions they get asked alot, and us too, is what remodel will help your home gain resale value...which remodel can I get the best return on investment? We would still defer to the professionals in the real estate business, but here's what we hear the most from them.

Kitchen remodels, bathroom updates and additions and adding usable square footage such as a basement finish, or converting attic space.

If your kitchen is similar to the picture above you either love honey oak or you are living in a house built likely in the 80's to mid/late 90's. There's nothing wrong with that, but our market is loaded with kitchen's just. Like. Yours. A kitchen remodel is the most intrusive remodel that a homeowner can live through, it's also likely one of the most expensive remodels you can tackle in your home beyond a basement finish. All of that being said, according to experts, a kitchen remodel can often times bring nearly a complete return on investment in most situations. It's also one of the most obvious and "splashy" remodels you can do to any home, where families spend a vast majority of time.

Hopefully none of you are rocking the master bathroom pictured above. Sadly, some of you are. Sweet flower wallpaper, plastic faucet fixtures, there's that awesome honey oak again, not pictured but definitely there...the brass "Hollywood" light bar. Let's not glance past the carpet in the bathroom. Once again, nothing seriously wrong with this master bathroom, but in terms of resale or a place to wisely spend money on an update, this is your space. Fortunately, compared to the kitchen, the master bathroom remodel is an inconvenience for many, rather than a full on trip driving the struggle bus. An updated master bathroom is another spot that gets a lot of attention on the sale market and a good return on investment.

I previous mentioned bathroom addition. If you live in a house with only 1 bathroom and everyone around you has 2, then you're the low home on the totem pole. Finding space to add a bathroom would bring you up to equal of the rest of the homes in your area. Being equal may not sound that exciting, but in terms of resale valve and "comps" as the pros call them, you'll be doing yourself a long term favor.

One thing to keep in mind. Not everyone has the same budget or space for a particular remodel. Having a dream kitchen remodel is great, having an understanding of what it would cost to make that dream a reality is another thing all together. The above kitchen looks amazing to me, but when I look at it I see a lot of custom work. Custom work doesn't always bring a return on investment. Work with your contractor and talk with them about design and their understanding of the what they are seeing in remodeling of a particular space right now. In the end the final decision is yours, it's your home! Don't discount the experience and trends your contractor is seeing currently, long term, it could earn you money...

So today is the last day of 2015 and it's been a GREAT year for us...and we hope much of the Kansas City area! We thought it would be good to review a few things and make some 2016 resolutions. So here we go.

2015:

First and foremost, the Royals won the World Series! The Chiefs are in the NFL Playoffs and it's the first time they both have made the postseason the same year...EVER.

We (KC Home Solutions) had our BEST year ever, setting records for total volume business...thanks to all of you! So what did we end up doing?

We also won the 2015 Angie's List Super Service Award in the categories of Basement Remodeling, Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling and General Remodeling. That marks our 2nd year in a row to win those awards. Now we know what it feels like to be the Royals (they have won back-to-back American League Championships) it's the same, right? Enh, close. The boss probably won't buy us cool rings (bummer).

Can't wait to see the World Series Championship ring...we loved the 2014 AL Championship rings for the Royals!

Well I HOPE to be writing about a Chiefs Super Bowl Championship this time next year...another Royals World Series would be great too!

We have some lofty goals for our company starting TOMORROW. We are hoping to continue to double our totals (we've done it every year we've been in business). Not saying that we will but that's what a goal is for, right?

We are going to continue to work hard to improve our processes and keep giving everyone quality results. We really feel that our attention to detail, treating everyone respectfully and not rushing projects is the best way to do business. Speed in projects (like on TV shows) is great, but there's a lot to be said about making sure it's done right the first time.

We want to continue to set ourselves apart from the other contractors out there. Whether that's through design, attention to detail (big and small), or providing information to people who need help. We may not be the lowest bid you'll get but if you have a question you need help with, even if you did not choose us, don't be afraid to ask.

Check out our booth at the Johnson County Home + Garden Show in January 22-24 as we go for back-to-back awards for "Best Use of a Small Space". Happy New Year! We hope to work with all of you in 2016!

We have been working with a client on design for their home theater set-up in their basement. Framing is scheduled to start very soon. As you can imagine, we have been discussing alot of design options and details. Because of that I have been researching and checking on many ideas that the homeowner has sent my way. I thought it would be fun to go over a few of the things we have discussed.

The picture above shows many great ideas that can help a basement have much more depth. Take a look at all of the levels in the ceiling. The various wall depths on the TV wall, and if you look close enough you'll see recessed surround sound speakers as well. Another few design ideas that are great is the use of at least two flooring options and the fireplace. A very modern basement.

Of course we can't all have 2000 sq ft unfinished basements with unlimited funds to use. The picture above is showing a way to utilize a great design in a small space. I really like the built-in mantle underneath the wall mounted TV. The cool built-in shelves in the corner and the space saver bar with the glass see-through doors to help bring more depth to the space. The ceiling has been dropped and finished, likely to hide HVAC runs or i-beams and potentially water lines.

The picture above basement is cool for a few other reasons. In some ways you can say that there is a touch of simplicity in the design. The fur down boxed ceiling allows the projector to hide some inside the box. Different paint colors add levels to the room. There is a ton of natural light coming in the space, which could be a challenge with the TV during day time or if you have a bright neighborhood. You can see the recessed surround sound and can lights on both ceiling levels. A cool addition to this design would be recessed LED rope lighting hidden inside the box in the main TV area.

So to sum this up. Installing a 150" projection screen TV in your basement? That's a fantastic idea! Multiple ceiling levels, surround sound, custom built-in cabinets. Check, check and check. We are ready to help you open up your movie theater *in your basement, just let us know what you would like to see!

Surely you read the title of this post in a soft whisper voice, right? I know that I've read it a couple of time and it always sounds the same in my head. I thought today it would be fun to let you guys know what we are up to right now. What projects are going on currently? How about a list?

7 complete basement finish projects

4 kitchen projects

4 master bathroom projects

3 projects that have multiple action items

2 home additions

1 full home build

The answer to the picture is yes! I felt like I could see your face while reading that list. So is it bragging? Maybe. But we are proud of the work we are accomplishing, and we hope that you are proud of us as well. As you know, we are a small company. We take pride in the work that we do. When our guys do a great job we have no problem bragging on them. The volume of work completed is growing monthly and that excites us as well.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to do my best to start updating the 'Projects' tab on our website. We are going to do our best to swing by completed projects and take pictures and upload them for you all to see. So if we've recently completed a project for you, be looking for a call or email so that we can swing by.

So? If you (*we) build it...he will come? That he would be me (I would imagine the rest of your friends and family as well). I'm excited to see the completed projects and excited to share your finished space with everyone. Thank you in advance, this is going to be fun!

I would venture to say that unless you skipped out on college dorm life or living in an apartment at some time, you likely spent at least a year looking at a countertop like the one pictured above. Hopefully you aren't looking in to your kitchen right now and seeing a similar sight.

So what's this week's WWWDW about? Countertop options! You don't have to live with a funky countertop in your kitchen or other portion of your house. Here's the good news. There are TONS of options for new countertops, and I mean tons!

Check out this short list of granite options!

Alot of people like to be fairly neutral on countertop options, and it does make sense to do that. However, there is no reason why you couldn't go for a bright or exotic option. There are so many color options in natural stone and even some off the wall colors in man made stone. You don't have to be limited.

You also do not have to be limited by a stone countertop. The more modern design above is utilizing polished stainless steel for a very cool and clean look.

There are pros and cons to all countertop surfaces, granite, stainless steel, marble, formica and many other materials. Each have different properties, different weaknesses and strong points. And of course they are going to vary in expense at a cost per foot installation as well.